Leaders of teams such as first responders (e.g. police, firemen, emergency crews, Blue Forces, security personnel etc.) to a critical circumstance (e.g. accident, fire, natural disaster, security breach etc.) must maintain situational awareness to effectively react, coordinate, and respond to circumstances that can often become hazardous. Effective communications and positional information of assets including personnel are critical to decision makers in coordinating such activities. After evaluations conducted by the inventors demonstrated the suitability of a mesh networking communication system, an in-vehicle network was developed and deployed that not only operates without fixed infrastructure (such as towers, spoke-and-hub relays etc.) but one that also incorporates security features. Extensive testing indicated that the ad hoc network worked well and could be scaled up, secured and operated at highway speeds. The latter characteristic is particularly useful for applications which depend upon mobile communications without fixed infrastructure.
The Tactical Network or TacNet mobile ad hoc communications network was therefore developed to operate in a mobile environment without fixed infrastructure, provide connectivity to a fixed network, when desired and provide Blue Force personnel with secure access to critical data, such as real-time maps of resource (e.g. personnel) positions. See for example: Riblett, L. E., et al., “TACNET: MOBILE AD HOC SECURE COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK”, proceedings of the 41rst International Carnahan Conference of Security Technology, IEEE, October 2007, Ottawa, Canada, referred to hereinafter as Riblett (1), the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference. The development of TacNet addresses a variety of issues including mobile communications without fixed infrastructure and inclusion of security features, such as access control lists and encrypted communications. TacNet employs a line-of-sight mesh radio network, which is self-forming, self-healing and multi-hopping.
Success with the in-vehicle system led to the development of a portable unit, the “TacNet Tracker™” that could operate away from a vehicle, and be carried by personnel in the field. It was found that modification of personal digital assistants or similar available devices was not practical as they presented substantial difficulty in integrating a custom application into often proprietary operating systems, cost was prohibitive and viable lifetimes beyond five years was a concern. See for example: Riblett et al., “TACNET TRACKER: BUILT-IN CAPABILITIES FOR SITUATIONAL AWARENESS”, presented at the 2008 IEEE International Carnahan Conference on Security Technology, Prague, Czech Republic, October 2008, referred to hereinafter as Riblett (2), the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Embodiments of the present invention include portable wireless computers that provide secure real-time tracking and self-forming connectivity through the integration of uniquely packaged components and customized software. Tracking devices according to the present invention are wearable (e.g. handheld) low-cost devices that can accommodate a variety of network options, such as mesh radio network or 802.11 wireless. When operated with a mesh network—a mobile ad hoc network that accommodates for example, data speeds up to 6 Mbyte per second—tracking devices according to the present invention can provide situational awareness of individuals in the field securely and without the need for fixed infrastructure. These tracking devices let authorized individuals share and display the global positioning system (GPS) locations of all authorized devices (e.g. according to an access control list). Both the In-Vehicle and TacNet Tracker™ systems can be applied in combination or separately to a variety of purposes, including real-time training analysis, targeting capability and friend or foe identification. The TacNet Tracker™ is hereinafter referred to as the “tracker” a “tracking device” or simply as a “device”.
An application incorporating trackers according to the present invention can include two systems: (1) an In-Vehicle system, a workstation including a graphical user interface and (2) a Dismounted Solution, hand held portable real-time tracking and communication device(s) also know as the TacNet Tracker™.
Unlike the extensive add-ons required for laptop computers or personal digital assistants (PDAs) to provide a secure tracking capability, trackers according to the present invention integrate the required functionality in a small, hand-held, low-cost device. Tracking devices according to the present invention further include the following advantages over the art: Unique combination of low-power computing technology with substantial memory footprint and real-time operating system; Multiple communication options such as Bluetooth, Ethernet connections, universal serial bus (USB) and Joint Test Action Group (JTAG, IEEE 1149.1 interface); Capability for voice-over internet (VOIP) protocol.